Union miffed by 'weird sports drought'

Union hope to break drought after bye.

Zac MacMath has been stellar in net for the Union during recent slump, posting two shutouts.

When people hear the term bye week, most think of the NFL. That's when teams have an extra week of rest to regain their composure.

The same happens in MLS. No team could have used the bye week more than the Union. The club is coming off a 1-0 loss to Houston on Sept. 14, and it hasn't won a matchsince Aug. 10 — a 2-0 win over DC United.

"We've had a long stretch of games and having this extra time to reenergize and regroup is great," said goalie Zac MacMath. "It gives us time to really focus on this final stretch of games."

MacMath is hardly to blame for the struggles. The team has scored one goal during their drought. He also registered two shutouts, which led to ties against the NY Red Bulls and Montreal Impact. He's hopeful the ball will find the back of the net in the last month of the season.

"If we continue to play solid defensively, I think the goals will start falling for us," said MacMath. "Hopefully, in the next couple games here, we can start getting some points. I think we're in one of those weird sports droughts right now."

The Union (10-10-9) sit in sixth in the Eastern Conference with 39 points. It's the first time all season that Philadelphia hasn't held one of the top five playoff spots in the East. They face third-ranked Sporting KC on the road on Sept. 27.

"Every game right now is important," said MacMath. "We need to go into these final games with the mindset of getting three points. Going on the road against Sporting KC is going to be really tough. Their stadium will be loud and they have some tough fans, but we just have to stay confident and get the win."